Scheduled to be released on home video just before the big screen Battleship will open in theaters... Mario Van Peebles and Carl "Action Jackson" Weathers will star in what is essentially a rip-off of the big screen Battleship movie, titled American Battelship.

The synopsis for American Battelship reads:

When a fleet of mysterious ships wage war against the Earth, only the crew of the USS Iowa, the last American battleship, can prevent global armageddon.

Sound familiar? If you've read the synopsis and watched the trailers for Peter berg's Battleship (co-starring Rihanna), which we posted here, it should.

Directing American Battleship is Thunder Levin (responsible for 2008's Mutant Vampire Zombies from the Hood; remember that one? I heard it killed in South Dakota).

American Battleship is scheduled to be released on DVD/VOD on May 15th; Peter Berg'sBattleship is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 18th. Hah!

I should note that the company behind American Battelship (The Asylum Home Entertainment) has done this kind of thing before; for example, this year they released Battle of Los Angeles (starring Kel Mitchell and Nia Peeples) on home video during the same week that the then-upcoming big-budget studio movie, Battle: Los Angeles, opened in theaters.

And they've released some new stills from the film which I've embedded above and below. I just can't wait to see that trailer!!